This invention relates generally to the field of resource management systems, and more particularly to a recovery method and system for a resource management system.
Modern businesses often employ computer systems to manage resources more efficiently. Such resource management systems allow utilities and other service providers to automatically schedule work, dispatch needed personnel to perform the work, and monitor the status of the work. This allows a utility to respond quickly to customer needs and meet customer expectations.
One type of resource management system is MDSI""s Advantex server application that provides a mobile workforce management system. Using this system, a utility, for example, can dispatch and schedule work orders such as meter and service orders. Because work orders are automatically dispatched, more accurate information is available on workloads. This enables efficient scheduling of resources. In addition, paperwork is minimized and work status information is available in a much more timely manner.
A problem with known resource management systems is that they are unable to fully associate some information received from a mobile or remote workforce with corresponding work orders. Such orphan information is often discarded and thus not available to the system. In addition, information may be lost or discarded during recovery processing.
The present invention provides a recovery method and system for a resource management system that substantially eliminate or reduce the disadvantages and problems associated with previous systems and methods.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a recovery method for a resource management system having a message handler for communicating orders from a plurality of disparate hosts to an order processing system for assignment to remote resources includes shutting down the order processing system and the message handler. A restored order processing system is generated by replacing a current version of the order processing system with a previously saved version. The restored order processing system is restarted, as is the message handler. Each order in the restored processing system is set to pending. Orders in the restored order processing system that were closed subsequent to a time of the previously saved version are identified and deleted from the restored order processing system. Orders in the message handler that were transmitted from the message handler to the order processing system subsequent to the time of the previously saved version are identified. The subsequently transmitted orders that remain open in the message handler are then identified and transmitted to the restored order processing system for assignment to the remote resources.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a recovery method for a resource management system having a message handler for communicating scheduling messages from a plurality of disparate hosts to an order processing system for assignment includes shutting down the order scheduling system and the message handler. A restored order scheduling system is generated by replacing a current version of the order scheduling system with a previously saved version. The restored order scheduling system and message handler are then restarted. Scheduling assignments in the message handler that were generated by the order scheduling system subsequent to a time of the previously saved version are identified. The subsequently generated scheduling assignments that remain open in the message handler are then identified and transmitted to the restored order scheduling system for rescheduling.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a method for processing orphan information in a system having a message handler communicating orders from a plurality of disparate hosts to an order processing system for assignment to remote resources includes receiving at the order processing system and from the remote resources, a response to an assignment. The order processing system determines whether the response is properly associated with an order. If the response is properly associated with an order in the order processing system, a normal transaction ID of the order is included with the response. If the response is not properly associated with an order in the order processing system, a predefined orphan ID is included with the response. The response is transmitted to the message handler. At the message handler, the response is associated with a corresponding order previously sent to the order processing system. In response to at least the orphan ID, a message operable to delete the corresponding order from the order processing system is generated. The message is then transmitted to the order processing system.
Technical advantages of the present invention include providing improved recovery processing for computer-aided dispatch, order scheduling, and other suitable workforce or resource systems. In particular, the computer-aided dispatch, order scheduling, or other suitable system is restored from a previously saved version and updated to a current state by determining work order, scheduling, or other messages that need to be retransmitted, retransmitting such work orders and messages in their original sequence, and performing additional automated processing to ensure consistency of the information in the host and resource management systems. In this way, the failed system is restored, updated, and synchronized with the message handler and remaining elements in the resource management system.
Another technical advantage of the present invention includes providing a method and system for processing orphan responses received from a computer-aided dispatch or other suitable workforce or resource system. In the case of MDSI""s Advantex computer-aided dispatching system, messages received from Mobile Data Terminals in the field are susceptible to being xe2x80x9corphanedxe2x80x9d under certain circumstances, resulting in an inability to pass the messages to the message handler in the normal fashion. Normally, these messages, which contain critical business information relative to the status and closing of host system work orders, would be discarded by the CAD system, resulting in lost business information and orders being stranded within the CAD system in an incomplete state. In this particular embodiment of the invention, the messages that would otherwise be lost are transmitted to the message handler which uses a host control number embedded in the message to link the orphan message with its associated host order. The message handler further contains all the code necessary to post the status and closing information as if the messages had not been xe2x80x9corphanedxe2x80x9d and to resynchronize the integrated system by issuing commands to the CAD system to cancel the (already completed) stranded orders. This assures that the dispatchers will not redispatch the orders to be worked again in the field.
Other technical advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following figures, description, and claims.